Knitting and weaving machine

ABSTRACT

Means are provided for keeping a plurality of weft threads of knitting and weaving machines separated so that they cannot cling or cohere and form defective warp knit goods. An endless moving belt is arranged obliquely across the width of the readied weft and provided with pins whose movement is coordinated with the speed of the weft feed.

United States Patent [1 1 Hagel et al.

[ 1 3,744,276 July 10,1973

[ KNITTING AND WEAVING MACHINE [75] Inventors: Adolf Hagel, Helmut Sell, both of Bavaria, Germany [73] Assignee: LIBA Maschinenfabrik G.m.b.H.,

Bayem, Germany 22 Filed: Dec. 15,1971

2'1 Appl. No.: 208,128

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Dec. 24, 1970 Gennany P 20 63 696.8

[52] US. Cl 66/84 R [51] Int. Cl.. D04!) 23/06, D04b 23/08, D041) 23/10 [58] Field of Search 66/84, 85, 86; 28/1 [56] References Cited I UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,364,701 1/1968 Carman 66/84 3,636,731 1/1972 I Jones 66/84 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 281,043 12/1927 Great Britain 66/84 Primary Examiner-Ronald Feldbaum Attorney-Jacobs & Jacobs [57] ABSTRACT Means are provided for keeping a plurality of weft threads of knitting and weaving machines separated so that they cannot cling or cohere and form defective warp knit goods. An endless moving belt is arranged obliquely across the width of the readied weft and provided with pins whose movement is coordinated with the speed of the weft feed.

2 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures aoa 6 oooooooeooocoooocoooeoou KNITTING AND WEAVING MACHINE In addition to the familiar textile machines of the prior art comprising ribbing and knitting machines for all-stitched goods on the one hand and weaving machines for woven goods on the other hand, another group is represented by a knitting machine with fullwidth weft threading. The goods produced thereon are in the nature of warp knit goods. On this machine, the warp threads are looped to form the skeleton of the textile web, while the weft threads are secured by the warp threads and run crosswise over the entire working width of the machine. The said weft threads are prestrung on the reverse side of the machine on a traveling system, such as a weft carriage, singly or in groups, and fed to the knitting tools.

In the case of high-speed machines of the above type knitting machine, it becomes impracticable to prestring the wefts individually, because the feed velocity of an individual weft thread would be so high as to overstrain it. Therefore, several threads are strung closely spaced side by side at the same time. When a fibrous weft is used, a disadvantage is encountered in that the weft threads placed in readiness side by side may touch and cling together by their projecting fibers. The consequence is that the weft threads will fail to be picked up individually, and two cohering threads will be incorrectly worked into the same row of stitches, with a resulting flaw in the goods. The present invention is directed to a solution of the problem of preventing the weft threads from clinging together in this manner.

According to the invention, means are provided to keep the weft threads that have been placed in readiness spaced apart on their way to the knitting tools. In the gaps of the weft, there are moving pins which keep the weft threads properly spaced apart. Obliquely across the entire width of the readied weft threads, an endless moving belt is advantageously arranged, studded with pins to keep the individual weft threads separate or apart. The speed and direction of motion of the pins are so coordinated with the speed of the weft travel that the relative motion of the pins runs parallel to the readied weft threads.

In the accompanying drawing:

FIG. 1 illustrates in plan view a preferred embodiment of the invention by way of example, and

FIG. 2 shows a side view from the right of FIG. 1.

The weft threads 1 are placed, by a prestringing means not shown in the drawing, on hooks 2 attached to a traveling chain 3. At each row of stitches produced by the warp threads on the knitting machine, the plurality of weft threads 1 are advanced by one hook interval continuously in the direction of the arrow 5 towards the knitting needles 4 and stitched into the loops formed by the warp threads across the entire working width of the machine. The warp threads 9 are fed to the knitting needles 4 through the eyes of the needles 10.

In order to hold the individual warp threads 1 which consist of a fibrous material, sufficiently far apart to keep them from clinging together, a combing means is provided in the fonn of a moving endless belt 6 disposed obliquely across the entire width of the readied weft. On this belt 6, pairs of pins 7 are provided, which keep the weft threads suitably spaced apart on their way to the knitting tools 4. Transmission gearing 8 is arranged to drive the belt 6. The speed and direction of motion of the pins 7 are so proportioned to the speed of the weft feed 3 that the relative motion of the pins 7 is parallel to the prestrung weft threads 1. Thus in very simple manner a continuous combing of the readied weft threads is effected, so that any clinging together of the individual weft threads is avoided.

What is claimed is:

1. In a knitting machine in which weft threads are stitched in crosswise over the entire working width of the machine, several weft threads being placed at one time in readiness side by side on a conveying means and fed to the knitting tools, the improvement which comprises combing means to keep the readied weft threads spaced apart on their way to the knitting tools and to prevent them from clinging together, said combing means including pins arranged to move in the gaps between the weft threads to keep the weft threads spaced apart, and means for coordinating the speed and direction of motion of' the pins with the speed of the weft feed that the relative motion of the pins runs parallel to the prestrung weft threads. 7

2. A knitting machine according to claim 1, wherein an endless moving belt is arranged obliquely across the entire width of the readied weft, and said pins are mounted on said belt. 

1. In a knitting machine in which weft threads are stitched in crosswise over the entire working width of the machine, several weft threads being placed at one time in readiness side by side on a conveying means and fed to the knitting tools, the improvement which comprises combing means to keep the readied weft threads spaced apart on their way to the knitting tools and to prevent them from clinging together, said combing means including pins arranged to move in the gaps between the weft threads to keep the weft threads spaced apart, and means for coordinating the speed and direction of motion of the pins with the speed of the weft feed that the relative motion of the pins runs parallel to the prestrung weft threads.
 2. A knitting machine according to claim 1, wherein an endless moving belt is arranged obliquely across the entire width of the readied weft, and said pins are mounted on said belt. 